Why Short Form Video Content?
Every time I look up and go about my daily life, I see most people with their heads in a mobile device. There never was a more distracted generation in history. With a click of our fingers we move with ease from listening to music, to reading articles, watching videos or searching for the next critical distraction. As video marketers short form video content is ideal content for a distracted generation.
Short form content is short video content, typically anything from 15 seconds to 60 seconds. It is the ultimate in snack size content. It can easily be consumed in small chunks of time when your audience is on the go. I have written before about “micro brand videos” as a great antidote to busy lives, today I want to add some further thoughts I have on the subject.
Time Matters
Every time I talk about video production I highlight the importance of not wasting time. This probably comes from my involvement in Toastmasters where you learn to respect time and not waste it. With short form video content time management is especially important. The micro videos work for your audience because they get valuable content in a short time. When planning your micro brand video think about how you can deliver your content in the shortest time possible. Only include content that is absolutely necessary and reinforces your overall point.
Pace Is The Key
Short videos only work if they are fast paced and to the point. There is no room for a sluggish delivery you need to get your audience’s attention in the first few seconds and keep it until the end. 15 seconds may not seem like a lot of time, but used well you can deliver a solution that will help your customer with a real problem they are having. The video needs to have a structure that gets the audience’s attention, delivers the message and finishes with a way that gets your audience to engage with your brand more.
Think About How Your Content Is Consumed
You need to assume your audience may only watch your video not hear it. This can be particularly true if your audience is in between tasks and may not be able to use earphones. When planning and executing your video you should do it in such a way that it not only makes sense on a visual basis but also works with the sound on. This means nobody feels left out of their video experience.
Start With Impact
I have already highlighted the importance of pace, however I think it is really important to point out the first 5 seconds of your short video are critical. This is the only time you get to engage your audience, fail at this point and you have lost them. Think about what is likely to capture the imagination of your audience and how you can condense this idea into 5 seconds. The key is to make your audience want to see more.
Target Your Audience
The key to creating successful video content is to create video content with your audience in mind and for a social platform you know they use. This means the content addresses issues that your audiences care about in a format that they expect on a particular social media platform. Tailoring your video content in this way will make it more relevant to your audience and they will appreciate and interact with what is essentially personally targeted content.
Why Snack Size Video Content Is So Relevant To Our Lives
“The ear is the avenue to the heart.”
Voltaire
There is no doubt we must be one of the most distracted generations that ever lived. We have the access to most of the world’s education, music, visual entertainment and history at the tip of our fingers. We rarely pause to think what a privileged existence we live in the Western world. To cut through all these distractions and demands on our time, video creators must create content that is relevant and easily consumed. Short form video content is great for achieving this it allows video marketers to create content that is easy to consume and is relevant to their audience.